Prorated credits will be calculated based on a cancellation date of March 15, 2020. This results in a prorated refund of 45.5 percent of room and board charges.

As outlined in our financial aid guidelines, merit-based Millsaps institutional financial aid is reduced 35 percent for students living off campus. If you received merit-based Millsaps institutional financial aid, these awards will be reduced a prorated 35 percent (specifically, 16 percent which is 45.5 percent of 35 percent) consistent with room and board refunds. In addition, residence hall grants will be reduced 45.5 percent proportionate with room and board refunds. In these cases, financial aid adjustments will reduce any credit balances available to be refunded.

The overall refund strategy for room and board for the spring 2020 semester is based on the simple concept of refunding students the difference between

• What you would have paid to attend Millsaps for the entire year as a residential student; and
• What you would have paid Millsaps, according to our financial aid policies, to live off campus for the period of time that you had to live off campus.

Our financial aid packages are offered relative to the total cost of attendance, which includes tuition, fees, room and board (meal plan). That’s why our policies clearly state that when a student moves off campus, their merit-based aid is reduced by 35 percent.

This policy takes into account that the College has significant fixed costs to delivering the Millsaps educational experience whether students live on campus or not. We recognize that you did not choose to move off campus during the COVID-19 crisis, but unfortunately Millsaps also did not have a choice in order to protect the health and safety of our community. We were following clear guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other government agencies, and those difficult decisions have come at a significant cost to the college. The reality is that delivering your education is considerably more expensive today (both in terms of real dollars and human hours) than it was before the pandemic. We have not attempted, nor will we attempt, to pass on those additional costs to our students and families. What we must do, however, is to fairly and consistently follow our existing financial aid policies as we appropriately refund you the portion of your room and board that you did not get to utilize.

Room and board credits will be automatically applied to your student account. Credits will first be applied to any outstanding balance on your student account.

Once your financial aid is adjusted and your outstanding balance is paid in full, a refund will be issued for the remaining credit balance.

Refunds will be issued directly to the student in the form of a check and will be mailed to their permanent address on file.

Refunds will be processed on or around the end of April 2020. It will then take five to 10 business days to receive your refund check in the mail.

If you were approved and chose to stay on campus, your room and board charges will remain unchanged for the Spring 2020 semester.

If you were approved to stay on campus and then found alternative arrangements, you must notify the Office of Residence Life at millsaps911@millsaps.edu to update your plans. The Business Office will evaluate your departure date and make a determination regarding your eligibility of a refund.

The commuter meal plans will be eligible for a refund based on the number of unused meals remaining on the plan.

Major Bucks are managed separately from meal plans with dining dollars.

Per our standard policy, any remaining Major Bucks account balance will remain active until the student is no longer enrolled at Millsaps. If you will not be enrolled at Millsaps next academic year and would like a refund of your remaining funds, please email the Business Office at businessoffice@millsaps.edu.

Please email the Business Office at businessoffice@millsaps.edu with questions related to room and board credits and refunds.

Many members of our Millsaps family have reached out to ask what they can do to help our students as well as help the college continue its academic mission, including donating room and board refunds to Millsaps as a tax-deductible philanthropic gift. There are two options if you would like to donate your room and board refund. If you email Jim Burke at jim.burke@millsaps.edu before April 8, 2020, Millsaps can retain the refund, and we will send you a gift acknowledgment letter for your records. If you receive your refund and want to donate it at that time, you can make your gift online at mbench.org/donate or contact Jim Burke at jim.burke@millsaps.edu for other ways to give.

If you have additional questions outside the scope of this FAQ, please email info@millsaps.edu.